Decorations
by MsRaven
Summary: Total Fluff. It's Christmas in Atlantis. WeirSheppard


**Decorations**

**Summary:** Total Fluff. It's Christmas on Atlantis. Weir/Sheppard

**Spoilers:** Nothing really, maybe The Rising

**Disclaimer: **Stargate Atlantis and its characters do not belong to me

**Author's Note:** A stand alone piece of romantic fluff that just wouldn't go away until I wrote it.

Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Peter Grodin walk into the gateroom and find total chaos. Several members of the expedition are hanging multi-colored garlands and wreaths around the room. Standing in front of the Stargate is Major John Sheppard who looks to be coordinating all the activity.

"Major Sheppard." The room is suddenly silent. Elizabeth has this amazing ability to be heard in a crowded room without needing to raise her voice. "Care to tell me what's going on here?"

Sheppard turns with a huge grin on his face. He spreads his arms wide to encompass the large room.

"We're decorating!"

He bends down, grabs an armful of decorations and deposits them in Peter's arms. When Peter doesn't move from Weir's side, Sheppard give him a shove in the back.

"McKay needs those upstairs."

Peter looks at Weir, who nods, before making his way up to the command deck.

Sheppard is now wearing a bemused frown on his face.

"That guy really needs to get a life." He mutters under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. So you like the decorations?"

"I'd like to know what they're for before answering that."

"It's Christmas."

"Not it's not." Elizabeth thinks for a moment. "Is it?"

"Oh yeah. Ford and I double checked the calendars – twice."

"I can't believe we lost track of the days."

"I know. If we hadn't been discussing Earth holidays with Teyla, we wouldn't have remembered at all."

"So where did you get the decorations?"

"We actually found a bunch in a box and copied the rest."

"I thought that McKay was hesitant to use the replicators until he figured out where the original matter was coming from?"

"Guess the guy likes Christmas."

"What about members of the team that don't celebrate Christmas?"

"You really think that people are going to turn down a party?"

In the end, Sheppard is right. The party is a hit with everyone in Atlantis. It doesn't matter that several of them have never celebrated Christmas before in their lives.

Rodney, Carson, and Aiden are the first ones drunk, as usual. It doesn't take them long to start singing Christmas carols in loud, obnoxious voices. But it's Christmas and they all need a reason to celebrate. Elizabeth finds herself laughing and singing along with the rest of her team. John is standing next to her, with an arm lightly around her waist, and he's belting out 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' louder than anyone around them.

They've ended up like this a lot tonight. Whether it's him seeking her out or vice versa, neither one of them is sure. What they know is, more often than not, the other is usually less than an arm's length away. He likes how she brushes her hand lightly on his arm when she's nearby. She likes how his arm fits naturally around her waist.

John wonders if she's tipsy, but he's watched her nurse the same drink for an hour now. Elizabeth thinks he's just a big flirt, but she notices that he hasn't talked to many other women tonight.

At the end of the night, Beckett and McKay have stumbled off to their quarters. Beckett claims he'll make sure McKay doesn't hurt himself, but he's less than steady himself. Ford is sitting on the steps trying, unsuccessfully, to explain the lyrics in 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' to Teyla.

Elizabeth is standing near the Stargate wondering if she should try and rescue Teyla from Aiden's drunken ramblings. She feels an arm snake around her waist and she takes a deep breath in. She is amazed how John always smells lightly of aftershave – especially since he seems to have a perpetual five o'clock shadow.

"You'll just get pulled into the conversation if you go over there."

"You're probably right."

He steers her away with a slight pressure of his hand on her hip. John doesn't say anything as he leads Elizabeth to a shadowy corner of the gateroom. She quirks an eyebrow when he stops and stands in front of her. His only response is to look up. She follows his gaze up to a small bunch of leaves hanging from the ceiling.

The intensity of his gaze as she looks back down stills the breath in her throat. He makes no move towards her. He's told her, without words, what he wants. He needs her to make this choice – with no regrets and no looking back.

Elizabeth takes a step forward and the air leaves John's body in a rush. He can't move. Another step forward and he thinks this would be a really bad time to have a heart attack. She places her hand on his chest and smiles at the erratic beating that matches her own. He cups the side of her neck, his thumb brushing her cheek. Their breaths mingle for an instant before their lips make contact.

The kiss is as gentle as it is earth-shattering. The first kiss melds into the next as he wraps his other arm around her, pulling her flush against him. Her arms go around his neck and she doesn't remember ever feeling this whole. He doesn't want to ever let her go.

They finally pull apart when their lungs are screaming for air. He rests his forehead against hers and wonders why they waited so long to do that. She wonders if she made her bed this morning, but figures he won't care either way.

"So," she says. "My place or yours?"

He laughs and pulls her close for a hug.

"I've already followed you to another galaxy, it only seems right for you to lead the way."

John and Elizabeth walk out of the gateroom with as little space between them as possible.

Across the room, Teyla watches them walk out with a small smile. She turns and shakes the shoulder of the man who has fallen asleep on the stairs.

"It appears that our plan has worked Lt. Ford."

All she gets is a snore in response.

_So...what did you think? Too mushy? Does it need a Chapter 2? I was dying to write a first kiss scene between John and Elizabeth – my other storyline probably won't get there for a while. _


End file.
